[Note:
On the 28th of September, 1969, Hazrat Maulana
Sadr-ud-Din, Head of the Ahmadiyya Community, Lahore,
delivered an inspiring lecture on
"The
Holy Prophet's Teachings on International Religion and
International Justice"
in the Inter-continental Hotel, Karachi. A big assembly
of intellectual elite, comprising men and women, listened
to it with rapt attention. After the enlightening lecture
the audience expressed their profound satisfaction and
deep gratitude.]

"He has prescribed for you
the religion which He enjoined on Noah, and which We have
revealed to thee, and which We enjoined on Abraham and
Moses and Jesus, saying, Remain steadfast in obedience
and be not divided therein" (42 : 13).

This Quranic verse highlights
the fact that the religion of Islam which the Holy
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
preached, had been the religion of all the Prophets before
him. Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) who is the
oldest Prophet, is mentioned first. After him, mention is
made of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) who is
held in deep reverence by the Jews, the Christians, and the
Muslims. All these people believe him to be worthy of
sincere veneration and allegiance. Then Prophet Moses
(peace be upon him) and Prophet Jesus (peace be upon
him) are mentioned, and they are the Apostles of the Jews
and the Christians. In short, the
Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) taught
exactly what the ancient Prophets had been
teaching.

The high and noble
aim of preaching such a universal religion
is to unite the nations of the
world, establish peace, and eradicate all causes of
conflict. Today the world is out of joint. Mankind is facing
a fiery ordeal. Man's inhumanity to man makes the heart
sick. People all over the world are pining for peace and
amity. The light of scientific knowledge is spreading. But
it has signally failed to dispel clouds of hatred and
hostility which have spread darkness. Every now and then,
plans for world peace are put forward. But they prove all
too superficial. Hence they fizzle out.

Real and lasting
peace springs from a belief that
all leaders, and Prophets of all nations must be respected.
We should respect their teachings. It should be our firm
faith that by following their teachings, saintly people were
born. This faith illumines the hearts and charms away the
gloom of prejudice. Unless minds are purged of this gloom,
there can be no international peace. The most effective
panacea for world peace was proclaimed by the Holy Prophet
(peace and blessings of God be upon him). He forcefully
exhorted the people that they should cherish reverence for
the Prophets of all nations, and live up to their revealed
teachings. This panacea was tried with unparalleled
success in Arabia, where the warring tribes were
cemented into brotherhood. This panacea can be tried even
today. It will surely lay the foundations of real and
enduring union and peace.

The laws that
operate in the Universe are cosmic in their
nature. The sun and the
moon shed their light on all nations. Rains also
do not discriminate. They produce crops and fruits
for all people all over the world. Likewise, air is
beneficial for all men and animals. Thus, all that is
indispensable for life, is dispensed to all. This phenomenon
points to the fact that the whole universe is governed by
One Supreme Lord. His Oneness aims at creating
unity among His creatures. The Holy Quran
says:

"All nations are one
community."

If an adequate provision exists in the
form of air, water and light for the maintenance and
continuance of physical existence, there
is a corresponding dispensation for our spiritual
life. This is in the form of
the Books revealed to the Prophets of all the
nations. As there is one fountainhead of all revelations,
the principle of revelation is also the same. To this
effect, God says:

"And We sent no Messenger
before thee but We revealed to him saying 'There is no
God but I; so worship Me alone'" (21 : 26).

This verse emphasises the
basic unity of
all religions which without
exception taught the worship of One God. The Holy Prophet
(peace and blessings of God be upon him) was sent to all
nations with the same message. Thus, belief in the Unity
of God alone can bring about unity among nations. As
this teaching is universal in character, the Holy
Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) who
gave it to the world, was rightly entitled "Mercy for all
people."

Just as one universal religion is an
effective means of uniting the nations, it is also a
guarantee for establishing international peace and
justice.

With a view to attaining this noble
object, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of God be
upon him) was commanded thus:

"Let not the enmity of a
people incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be
always just, that is nearer to righteousness. And fear
Allah. Surely, Allah is aware of what you do" (5 :
9).

All his life the
Holy Prophet (peace and
blessings of God be upon him) carried out this command in
the letter and the spirit. There are historical
events which support this statement. For instance, in
Madina a stolen armour was recovered from a Jew's home.
When he was proceeded against, he deposed that Taumah Ansari
stole the armour and had planted it in his house. Thus,
Taumah was the culprit and should be punished. When Taumah
Ansari was hauled up for this, all the Ansars waited upon
the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him)
and interceded on his behalf. They said he was innocent. He
should be let off, otherwise it would bring disgrace to
their community. They also pressed for consideration that it
was a case of Taumah Ansari versus a Jew who is an enemy of
Islam. When the matter was investigated by the Holy Prophet
(peace and blessings of God be upon him) Taumah was found
guilty and was punished. The Jew was acquitted. The
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) followed the divine
injunction (the enmity of a people should not incite you)
and declared innocent a member of the enemy community, and
set a noble example of justice and fair play. Unless this
principle is adhered to, there can be no international
peace. Incidentally, I recall an instructive
anecdote. I once had an occasion to meet Mr. Justice Sir
Trevor Harris, the Chief Justice of the Punjab High Court
before Partition. I told him that the English people were
known for strict adherence to the canons of justice and
fairplay. But when there was a case between an Englishman
and an Indian, the English Judge was invariably guilty of
giving a wrong judgement in favour of an Englishman. This
took the Chief Justice's breath away. Hush fell upon him. At
this juncture I recited the Quranic verse quoted above. He
was astonished to hear the story of Taumah. Thus the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) stands out as the Magnificent
Exemplar for the rulers of the world.

There is another glowing instance
of justice and fair play. The Holy Prophet (peace and
blessings of God be upon him) gave the following glad
tidings to the Muslims:

"O my people! You are
about to conquer Egypt. Keep the welfare of the
conquered people in view. You shall have to abide by the
divine covenant that their life and property and their
honour should be protected."

He also said that the Egyptians were
the relatives of the Muslims. This was an allusion to the
fact that their great-grand mother Hajirah (Hagar)
hailed from Egypt.

When Egypt was conquered, Amr
bin al-As the victor, was appointed Governor. During his
tenure, his son beat a Christian Copt. When the news
reached Hazrat
Umar (rta), he summoned both
the father and the son to appear before him in Madina. He
paid no heed to the status of his Muslim Governor, because
he did not attach any importance to a false sense of
prestige. Consequently, the Governor had to reach Madina to
account for his son's misdemeanour. He was rebuked by Hazrat
Umar (rta) thus:

"Since when have you begun to
enslave the people who were born free."

Thus the father and the son had to
stand in the dock for an injury done to a
Christian.

There is still another event
worth remembering. During the Holy Prophet's life-time, the
Muslims conquered Yemen, which was inhabited by
the Jews. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of God
be upon him) appointed such distinguished persons as Muaz
bin Jabal and Abu Ubaidah to administer the affairs of this
territory. When they started on their journey to Yemen, the
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) walked on foot with them
and exhorted them how to rule over the non-Muslims. He told
them that they were going there as rulers of the People of
Book. It, therefore, was their duty to remember:

"These people have a revealed
religion. They are wise. Rule over them leniently. Do not
be hard on them."

He added:

"Your administration should
have a benevolent complexion which should please them. On
no account should it alienate their minds. The ruler's
job is not to rob the subjects and swallow their
possessions".

He further advised:

"Do not deal with the
non-Muslims cruelly, because the victim's cry of anguish,
caused by the ruler, will go straight to the heavens, as
there is no barrier between it and God".

Thus, the Holy Prophet's exhortations
were the same to the rulers of Yemen and the rulers of
Egypt.

These are the Holy Prophet's
guidelines for establishing peace and justice among the
nations. Their efficacy has been vindicated.
If any
teachings can put an end to conflicts and strengthen the
bonds of human brotherhood in these times of crisis, it is
the Holy Prophet's (pbuh) teachings.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings of God be upon him) is the Prophet for our times
and will remain the Prophet
for all times to come till the
Day of Resurrection. It is this teaching which is embalmed
in the Kalima (A Muslim's pronouncement of
faith):

"There is no god but Allah
and Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah."

None, but Allah alone, is worthy of
worship, and guidance of no prophet other than Muhammad
should be accepted.